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Proposed 2018-2019 Budget

On Tuesday of this week, I presented the School Board with a balanced, needs-based budget that provides the personnel and resources that will move our school division forward on our journey to maximize the potential of every learner. The initiatives outlined in this proposed budget align with our strategic plan and are aimed at maintaining our position as a leader in the Commonwealth.

The full presentation is available here. However, I wanted to provide you with a summary of the different aspects of the proposed budget.

Goal 1: Prepared for Life through Deeper Learning

1 Science Teacher at Goochland High School

1 Teacher at Goochland Middle School to teach science and STEM electives

1 division-wide instructional coach to provide job embedded professional development for reading instruction

1 division-wide instructional coach to provide job embedded coaching and profession support to teachers in math

Keeping the new teaching position added this school year for next school year at Byrd Elementary School

Additional Sections for Goochland High School ACA program (psychology and biology)

Title I Parent Outreach Facilitator at Byrd Elementary School

Additional funding for gifted program

Increasing the per credit tuition for ACA from $25 to $30.

Division funding to reduce the burden placed on families with certain instructional and co-curricular fees

Additional funding for Career and Technical Education

Funding for the continuation of Goochland High Schools Marine Junior ROTC program

Funding for athletics and activities at the secondary complex

Funding leveled books for elementary schools to complete the third year of a three year plan to provide these literacy resources to schools

Funding for software purchases and continued funding for Kajeet devices

The proposed budget includes funding for a total compensation package for our employees that is competitive in our region. This will help us to retain the incredibly talented professionals we currently have, and to attract exceptional candidates when vacancies occur, and reward our exemplary employees for their performance. The budget includes $444,071 in funding for salary improvement, funding for potential revisions to certain classified salary scales, and funding for internal equity adjustments. The School Board will be discussing employee total compensation further at their work session on January 30.

This proposal includes funding that will allow the school division to absorb the projected increase in health insurance premiums. This means no increase in out of pocket health insurance costs to employees who choose our high deductible plan or our $500 deductible plan (slide 55). This is significant as other neighboring governments may pass some or all of any increase in health insurance premiums to their employees.

One further employee benefit that is outlined in the proposed budget is an increase in funding for tuition reimbursement and an increase in the daily rate for substitute teachers, long term substitutes, and substitutes for instructional assistants (slide 57). This initiative should help us retain our most talented and reliable substitutes, while at the same time increase the new candidates to our available pool.

In addition to the personnel resources and programs identified for us to accomplish our strategic objectives as outlined above, this proposed budget includes opportunities for us to re-purpose and reallocate current resources by abandoning specific practices and processes, thus allowing us to use the funds previously allocated to these practices to fund our strategic needs. These recommendations are outlined on slide 70.

In all, the proposed budget for next year includes additional expenditures in the amount of $1,098,284 or 3.5%. Overall, 70.3% of next year’s budgeted expenditures will be focused on our instructional program with another 7.8% in Technology. These additional expenditures are offset by new revenue from state, Federal, and local sources. The proposed increase in funding from the Goochland County Board of Supervisors is in the amount of $760,000. Total funding from our local government for the fiscal year is up 3.48% and is at a projected $22,590,000.

Through our budget process, there were programmatic and personnel needs that have been identified, but are currently unfunded in this proposal. These needs were given very careful consideration. If additional revenue is available in the future, the following needs have risen to the next level of funding priority for future consideration (slide 85):

Instructional Technology Resource Coach

CTE Teacher for Secondary Complex

Funding for a division-funded Reading Specialists cohort for GCPS teachers

Additional funding for Promethean board replacements

Funding for malware protection for division-wide devices

Mechatronics unite for CTE engineering program

Funding for a study to analyze all division extra-duty stipends

In summary, this proposed spending plan for next year provides the resources to support our journey toward continued excellence as we ensure that we are providing ALL of our students with the knowledge, skills, and opportunities that are so crucial for students to become successful members of a modern global community.

Several public meetings will be taking place in the coming weeks as the School Board and the Board of Supervisors make final budget decisions for next year.